Virginia Hunter Safety Course

Recurve Bow

This bow features limbs that sweep back and then forward at the tips toward both the bow string and the grip. It is easier for the novice archer to use, since its curved limbs give it more potential energy. When pulling back a recurve to a full draw, an archer experiences less hand shock and vibration than with a long bow. However, unlike the compound bow, this bow does not have a "let off point" meaning that the archer will still feel the total draw weight of the bow throughout the entire draw. When the string is released, the limbs and string move in a forward direction. The stored energy in both parts of the limb is released very quickly, propelling the arrow to the target at high speed.